About

Frances Dougherty Kendall, MD

Dr. Frances Dougherty Kendall is board certified as a clinical biochemical geneticist and has extensive experience in the diagnosis and management of children & adults with a wide array of inborn errors of metabolism, specifically mitochondrial & metabolic disorders.

Associations:

Teaching:

Department of Biochemistry, Georgia Campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Suwanee, GA

Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Decatur, GA

Emory University School of Nursing, Decatur, GA

Lectures:

To many to list, please contact us for a complete listing. See our Resource tab for a listing of recent lectures.

Publications:

To many to list, please contact us for a complete listing. She has authored numerous research articles on various rare diseases including mitochondrial disease, an array of other inborn errors of metabolism and has a long term interest in research and clinical aspects of metabolic disorders. See our Resource tab for a listing of recent publications.

Links:

We are a unique practice, not in just the complex areas of medicine we are focused on or the services we provide. We are completely independent from the politics of large institutions and with no laboratory affiliation we have no conflict of interest or financial incentive in the tests that we may order.

The majority of our patients are seen face to face with Dr Kendall in our clinical office. While it is always preferable to have a face to face appointment, we understand that some of our patient population may experience challenges travelling which makes a remote second opinion an option for them. If a patient wishes to forgo a face to face appointment, our second opinion is much different from those of other specialists in that we schedule Dr Kendall to consult with you one on one for at least an hour or more. Our novel approach has allowed Dr Kendall to help people from Moscow to Hong Kong and South Africa to Anchorage.

In the past, because of the rarity of these disorders and the lack of specialists to care for the population, many patients were required to travel far distances to see a medical expert -- losing wages and engendering airfare, hotel and other travel costs. Others were bed bound or simply could not travel resulting in no access to necessary medical information and care. “Many areas of the country do not have qualified specialists. Those specialists have limited or no experience at all with these disorders,” explained Dr. Kendall. Understanding the disease process, being aware of and knowledgeable in the latest testing technologies, and implementing preventative measures can have a drastic impact not only on quality of life for an affected individual but for their healthcare costs in general. Gaining access to a specialist in this areas of medicine is vital.

“Not all areas of medicine are amenable to this model,” says Dr. Kendall. “However, a large component of genetics involves education and that can be done by enabling the patient to "travel" to the specialists office utilizing technology.”

Although the price tag for healthcare continues to rise, we have devised innovative processes that keep our overhead low enabling us to pass on the savings to you. Innovative services such as webcam technology, EHR (electronic health records), and patient portals enabling us to provide excellence in healthcare to an undeserved population in a cost-effective fashion.

To further contain costs, VMP does not employ a sizable staff to deal with the myriad of issues that insurance companies propagate. The practice is a fee for service model much like a dentist office where we provide the patient with a claim form (Form 1500) that they file directly with their insurance for reimbursement. We have GAP or In Network request letters that you can file with insurance before the appointment which may increase the amount of your reimbursement. We understand that a fee for service may be difficult at times for some families; therefore, our patient advocates will be happy to discuss payment arrangements with you.

“I am very excited about the widespread impact our model has created for patients and their quality of life. Instead of limiting a patient to a practice that is local to them, technology allows patients to travel to a specialist uniquely qualified in the specific area of medicine that they require. Overall, we are able to provide more care to a greater number of patients at a dramatically lower cost to the healthcare system.” Dr. Kendall relayed.

Conducting old fashion medicine using the last technology that brings highly specialised medicine to many previously overlooked patients.